Apparatus for separating predetermined lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same



Sept. 1, 1959 APP Filed March 6, 1956 A. POTDEVlN ET AL 2,902,197 ARATUS FOR SEPARATING PREDETERMINED LENGTHS OF MATERIAL FROM A CONTINUOUS TUBE OF THE SAME 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 1959 A. POTDEVIN ET AL 2,902,197

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING PREDETERMINED LENGTHS 0F MATERIAL FROM A CONTINUOUS TUBE OF THE SAME Filed March 6, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS" MW P BY W W M H TT'ORN E Y Sept 1, 1959 A. POTDEVIN ETAL 2, APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING PREDETERMINED LENGTHS OF MATERIAL Filed March 6, 1956 FROM A CONTINUOUS TUBE OF THE SAME 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 P 1, 1959 A. POTDEVIN ET AL 2,902,197

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING PREDETERMINED LENGIHS OF MATERIAL FROM A CONTINUOUS TUBE OF THE sAME Filed March 6, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS BY R M ATTORNEY United States Patent APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING PREDETER- MINED LENGTHS OF MATERIAL FROM A CONTINUOUS TUBE OF THE SAME Adolph Potdevin, Westwood, and Rudolph P. Bechle, Wyckolf, N.J., assignors to Potdevin Machine Co., Teterboro, N.J., a corporation of New York Application March 6, 1956, Serial No. 569,751 Claims. (Cl. 225-105) This invention relates to mechanism for successively producing bag blanks or lengths from continuously advancing tubular webs.

In general, the machine of the present invention is adapted successively to produce bag blanks or lengths from a continuously advancing, single-ply, tubular web in the production of single-ply bag blanks or from a multi-ply tubular web in the production of multi-ply bag blanks.

The machine is so constructed and arranged as to be readily adjustable to accommodate it to the production of bag blanks which may be varied as to length over a considerable range.

More specifically, the present invention provides a machine for the production of bag blanks from a continu ously advancing tube in which thetransversely perforated tubular web, whether single-ply or multi-ply, is continuously advanced through rotatable parting mechanism, where the web is parted or separated at the perforations. The parting mechanism comprises two pairs of web nippers and an intermediate web-parting element or blade, which is carried by oneof the web nippers, this parting element engaging the web to part the web into bag blanks or lengths at the perforations. The linearspeed of the tubularweb can be varied without varying the peripheral speed of the web nippers and parting element, and the peripheral-speed of the web nippers and parting element may be varied without varying the linear speed of the web and. without varying the revolutions per minute of the nippers and parting element, to enable the machine tobe properly set up initially and to provide for the production of bag blanks of varied lengths, the web nippers and web-parting element under all conditions traveling at a predetermined peripheral speed relationship to the linear speed of the webwhen contact is made with the traveling web.

The web nippers and web-parting element are arranged to be driven at all times at a fixed number of revolutions per minute but at non-uniform peripheral speed. The drive for the nippers and parting element is adjustable to vary the peripheral speed at which these elements are moving when they engage or contact the traveling web, so as to provide for movement of the nippers and the web-parting element at a predetermined peripheral speed relationship to web speed under all conditions of web speed at the instant these elements engage the web.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of apparatus embodying this invention;

" Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a part-sectional, elevational view, on an enlargedscale, illustrating the web nippers and the web-parting element or blade of this invention;

' Fig. 4is an isometric view illustrating theweb-parting element and the web at the beginning of the web-parting operation; t

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the driving mechanism for the web nippers and the web-parting element; and

2,902,197. Patented Sept. 1, 1 9 59 rice this invention comprises the two side frames 2 and 4, in

which are mounted two pairs of driven'feed rollers 6 and 8. Beyond the feed rollers, toward the discharge end of the apparatus, the frames carry a pairof overspeeded, driven discharge rollers 10. The discharge rollers are geared together and driven by a belt 11 from a variable speed drive, such as a Reeves drive indicated at R.

The drawings illustrate the production of multi-ply bag blanks, and, hence, it will be appreciated that a plurality of transversely perforated webs 12 are advanced continuously and simultaneously by the feed rollers, the webs being tubed as they are drawn forward by the feed rollers. This is conventional practice and, hence, will not be described in any further detail.

In the path of the tubed webs 12, as they move through the apparatus from the feed rollers to the discharge rollers, is the parting mechanism for dividing or parting the webs at.the perforations 3 into bag blanks. The parting mechanism comprises tWo rotors, one pair being designated 14 and 16, the other pair 18 and 20. Inasmuch as these rotors are so constructed that they nip the Webs 12 only intermittently, they will be referred to hereinafter as web nippers. The web nippers are mounted on shafts 22, 24, 26, and 28, respectively. These are driven shafts, as will be brought out presently, and they are mounted in hearings in the side frames Z and 4.

Rigidly mounted on the nipper rotor 20, which is the lower rotor of the second pair, is a parting element or blade 30 (see Fig. 3). This parting element or blade extends or projects from the side of the rotor 20 at an acute angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotor and terminates beyond the outer end of the rotor, so that, as it moves in a curved path as the rotor 20 is rotated, it will be carried above the plane ofithe tubed be understood that the parting element extends transverseing tubed' webs, and, as illustrated in Fig. 4, its active edge-is slightly inclined to the plane of the tubed webs. This feature will be referred to again in more detail.

It will be appreciated from the description thus far given that, if the parting element 30 engages the traveling tubed webs as the latter are being nipped or pinched simultaneously by the nipper rotors 14 and 16 at one side of the parting element and by the nipper rotors 18 and 20 at the other side of the parting element, a force will be imposed upon the webs generally transversely of the web to part the web at the perforated area or areas 3 which at the moment are intermediate the two pairs of web nippers. It will be understood that, while we have illustrated a straight cut-01f or parting of the webs, our apparatus is equally well adapted for use in producing shingled-end or stepped-end bag lengths, in which the perforations in the several walls of the tube do not coincide.

In order that the apparatus be capable of initial setting to ensure that the webs will be parted at the perforations and in order that the apparatus may be adjusted to the production of bag blanks of diiierent lengths, it is necessary that means be provided by way of a drive for the web nippers whereby the peripheral speed of these elements may be varied but without altering their revolutions per minute, the linear speed of the web varying in the production of bag blanks of different lengths, as will be understood.

Mounted in bearings in the side frames 2 and 4 are transversely extending shafts 32 and 34. These shafts project through the side frames and at one end (the far side of the machine as viewed in Fig. I) carry gears 36 and :38, respectively, in constant mesh with an intermediate gear 40, which is driven through a belt 42am the Mounted on the inside of the housing 541s geafiGZ, which is in constant mesh with gear 64, which'is fast on the shaft 32, I I, v

Rigidly mounted on the shaft 24'tor the lower nip-per rotor 16 is a bifurcated crank arm 66, cooperatin'gwith crankpin 68, carried by the gear 62.. By rotatablyadjusting the housing 54 on the shaft 32, this housing car,- rying the gear 62, which in turn carries the crank pi'n68, it'fis possible to adjust the eccentricity o f'the circular path crank pin 68 relatively to the path of'crank arm 65,35 iinpartan adjustable pulsating motion tolow'er nipper rotor 16, and, inasmuch as this rotor is geared one-to-one o the companion upper nipper rotor 14, a like motion is imparted to rotor 14"as well. I

On the inside of the housing 56 is a gear 70, this gear being inconstant mesh with a gear 7 4,fa's"t on the shaft 34.

On the shaft 28 of the lower nipper rotor 20 is bifurcated crank arrfi 76, cooperating with crank'pin 78, carried by the gear 70; It is apparent that, by rotatably adjustingthe; housing 56 on the shaft 34, it is possible to adjji lst the eccentricity the circular path'of crank relatively to crank arm 76, to impart an adjustable pulsating 'rnotiontothe lower nipper rotor 20 and to the weh-partingelement of blade 30 carried by the rotor. Inasmuch' as rotor'20' is geared one-'to-one to thecornpanibfifu per'ni pei rotor 18, a like motion is imparted to roto'r 18: I I

It will be seenfrom the foregoing that in the operation of the apparatus of this invention the tubed webs rw u be advanced at aco'nstant speed bythe driven feed r oll ers 6; and "8 toward the discharge rollers 10: The housings 54'and'56', the setting of which depends upon thelength of bag blankptobe-produced, have been adjiisted or set so that, at the instant the a'ctiveend 1 5 of upper nipper misguis rotated into operative position with respect to'theend'of the'lower companion rotor to nip. the webs 12, theacti'veend 19 of the upper nipper rotor 18 will'have'been rotated into operative position with respect to the end of the lower companion rotor' 20to nip the webs12, and thelower rotor 20 will have swung the parti'ngblade30 upwardly in a curved path into engagerneiit with the'lower face of the webs to impose a generally transverse force to the tubed webs to part the same at the erforated areas 3. As above explained, these areas do'not necessarily coincide, but their location inthe Seve n plies of the tub ed webs depends upon the ty e of end to b'e'pi o'diicedon the bag lengths. a

n must'b'e amenities that, whilethe rotors 1 1', 16, 1s, and gown-be drivenat a'-fii ed number of revolutions per "mute because'of the above described drive, their peripheral speed is not constant-I By the same t'o'kh, it 1 1 behiider's'toodthat, in settingup for a an of bag blanksoffa certain' length, the peripheral speed of the mppef rotors is shaman, duringthe web n'ipping operatrons, vi'zL, during'the time the Webs are inppe d between rnemp'ger raters; the peripheralspeed of these' rotors is a preximateiythsame as the linear speediof th e webs:

. R i b e being carried b y the lo wer nipper ram; 20: necessarily rnakes the same number K of revolutlo'n s' 'p minute as "the rotor.

w at] his desired to make a mi pl'bdllbiil gblanks either 4. longer or shorter than the apparatuswas originally set for, it is merely necessary to make a change in the changegear train 80, 82, and 84, through which the feed rollers are driven, to increase or decrease the linear speed of the tubed webs, depending upon Whether longer or shorter bag blanks are to be produced.

The housings 54 and 56- are-then adjusted, thereby to vary the" relation of the two crank pins 68 and 7 8m their respective crankarms'. Thus, at' thea'ssumed 'new'linear speed of the tubed webs 12, the nipper rotors and the parting element will bejmoving'at the desired peripheral speed relative to the linear speed of the webs when contact is made with the webs, despite the fact that the speed of the motor 44 has been unaltered.

From all of the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides an apparatus for successively producing bag blanks from continuously advancing tubing wherein each bag blank is'parted' from the leading end of the advancing 'tubingby imposihg-a force to :the' tubing; 7 generally transversely of the tubing, as the tubing is'in' the nip of two pairs of rotors disposed at each side of the area; or zoneofappl'i'cati'on of the transverse force to" the-Webbing: It'will'be 'appreciatedalso that, while the rotors mentioned arealways driven atthe'same number of revolutions' per minute, their'peripheral-speed may be adjusted to accommodate changes in the linear speed' of the tub'ed" webs whenver a' change is made in' the length of the bag' blank's to be roduced; so that, hen 'the' rotors and parting element contact the" tubedwebs, their peripheral speed will bear a predetermined relation'to the linear speed of thetubd WebSR I I I In the driving mechanism illustrated in 'Fig: 5 'it isneces'sIar'y "toadjust thesetting 'of' both housings '54 and 56 when achange'is'to'befmadein the peripheral speed'of the web-nipper rotors? In Fi'gZ 6 we have illustrated driving niechalnisfnr' wherein We have omitted one crank-motion mechanism entirely and one adjustable housing: A comparison of-Fig.- 6,with Fig; 5 will-'showthat the'housing 5 crank '66, crank pin 68 of Fig. 5"'have been oinitt'ecl'inI'th'e mechanism of Fig. 6'; and an intermediate gear has been provided, which is in constant mesh withthegears "50' and 52 of the lower nipper rotors '16 and 20,'res'pect'ively: This'prov'ides that the two pairs otweb nippers will operate 121 and necessarily will pulsate in phase at all times. I I I It'fi S'tO be understood thatichan'ges'may be made" in thedet'ails of cOhstru'ctionf'and arrangement of pa'rtsherein illustrated and described within the urviewcf' our invention.

What we'clainiisi I I I I 1. Apparatus for separating'predeterniined lengths of material from a continuous tube'of'the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, gripping means for advancingthef tubingatconstant speed; two pairs of hiper rotors 'disposed in spacedrelationto'each other in the path'of the advancing'tubingand adapted intermittently and simultaneously to'nip'the advancing tubing; a parting or separating element carried by one of said rotors and moved by it in an 'arcuatepath intoparting contact with the tubing intermediate the two pairs of nipper rotors for intermittently imposing a force to the advancing tubing, generally transversely ofjthe tubing, as the tubing is nipped by said rotors, to part or separate the tubing into predetermined lengths intermediate the two pairs of rotors;

and a pair of discharge rollers beyond said parting element and nipper rotors for successively'discharging'the tube lengths. I

2. Apparatus for separatingpredeterrnined lengths of material from a continuous-tube-Iof thesame, said apparatuscomprising, in combination, gripping means for advancing thetlibing' at constant speed; twopairs of nipper rotors disposed in spaced relation to each other in the path of the advancing tubingand adapted -'inter'mittently, and simultaneously to nipthe advancing tubin'g;

means for driving said rotors at a peripheral speed which, when the tubing is nipped, is substantially the same as the linear speed of the tubing; a parting or separating element carried by one of said rotors and moved by it in an arcuate path into parting contact with the tubing intermediate the two pairs of nipper rotors for intermittently imposing a force to the advancing tubing, generally transversely of the tubing, as the tubing is nipped by said rotors, to part or separate the tubing intermediate the said pairs of nipper rotors into predetermined lengths; and a pair of discharge rollers beyond said parting element and nipper rotors for successively discharging the tube lengths.

3. Apparatus for separating predetermined lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, gripping means for advancing the tubing at constant speed; two pairs of nipper rotors disposed in spaced relation to each other in the path of the advancing tubing and adapted intermittently and simultaneously to nip the advancing tubing; a parting or separating element carried by one or said rotors andmoved by it in an arcuate path into parting contact with the tubing intermediate the two pairs of nipper rotors for imposing a force to the advancing tubing, generally transversely of the tubing, as the tubing is nipped by the said rotors, to part or separate the tubing into predetermined lengths intermediate the pairs of rotors; means for varying the linear speed of the tubing without varying the peripheral speed or" the said rotors and parting or separating element; and means for varying the peripheral speed of the rotors and of the said parting or separating element without varying the revolutions per minute of the rotors and of the parting or separating element, to vary the length of the separated sections of tubing, the rotors and parting or separating element, when contacting the tubing, traveling at a predetermined peripheral speed relationship to the linear speed of the tubing.

4. Apparatus for separating predetermined lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, rotatable means for efiecting continuous advance of the tubing; two pairs of nipper rotors, spaced from each other, in the path of the advancing tubing; a parting or separating element rigidly alfix-ed to one of said rotors; means for rotating said rotors and the separating element at a fixed number of revolutions per minute, intermittently to effect a nipping of the traveling tubing and, at the same time, the imposition to the tubing intermediate the two pairs of rotors by said separating element of a force transversely of the tubing to part or separate the tubing into lengths intermediate the pairs of rotors; and means for varying the peripheral speed of the rotors and of said parting element without altering their revolutions per minute, thereby varying the length of the parted tubing sections, the rotors, when nipping the tubing, and said parting element traveling at a predetermined speed relationship to the linear speed of the tubing.

5. Apparatus for separating predetermined lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, a pair of feed rollers for continuously advancing the tubing; means for varying the speed of said rollers, thereby to vary the linear speed of the Web; a pair of rotatable nipper elements, geared together and adapted to receive the tubing between them, said nipper elements, when rotated into cooperative relation to each other, nipping the tubing between them; a second pair of rotatable nipper elements for nipping the tubing simultaneously with the first pair, said second pair being disposed intermediate the first pair and said feed rollers; a parting element rigidly afiixed to one of the elements of the first pair of nipper elements for imposing a force to the traveling tubing transversely of the tubing when the tubing is nipped by both pairs of nipper elements, to part the tubing intermediate the two pairs of nipper elements; gear trains for rotating the nipper elements at a constant number of revolutions per minute;

and means for adjusting said gear trains so as to vary the peripheral speed of the nipper elements and of the parting element, to vary the peripheral speeds of the nipper elements and of the parting element as the former are brought into cooperative relation and as the parting element is brought into engagement with the tubing to conform to variations in the linear speed of the tubing without altering the revolutions per minute of the nipper elements and of the parting element.

6. Apparatus for separating predetermined lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, feed rollers for advancing the tubing at constant speed; means for driving said feed rollers; two pairs of nipper rotors disposed in spaced relation to each other in the path of the tubing being advanced by the feed rollers for simultaneous nipping of the tubing by the two pairs of nipper rotors; driving means for each pair of nipper rotors for driving the rotors at a variable peripheral speed but at a constant number of revolutions per minute; a parting element affixed to one of said rotors and moved by it in an arcuate path across the path of the advancing tubing, to impose a parting or separating force to the tubing transversely of the tubing intermediate the two pairs of nipper rotors as the tubing is being nipped by the rotors; means for varying the linear speed of the tubing; and means for varying the peripheral speed of the said rotors and of the parting element without varying the revolutions per minute of the rotors and parting element, to provide for varying the lengths of material separated from the tubing and to provide for so adjusting the peripheral speed of the rotors and of the parting element that, at the instant of their operation, their peripheral speed will have a predetermined relation to the linear speed of the tubing.

7. Apparatus for separating lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, feed rollers for advancing the tubing at constant speed; driving means for said feed rollers; two pairs of nipper rotors disposed in spaced relation to each other in the path of the advancing tubing; driving means for one pair of nipper rotors to drive the same at a variable peripheral speed but at a constant number of revolutions per minute; gearing for gearing said pairs of nipper rotors to each other so that they will always be driven one-to-one; a parting or tube-separating element attached to one of said rotors and moved by it in an arcuate path across the path of the advancing tubing, to impose a parting or separating force to the tubing; means for varying the linear speed of the tubing; and means for varying the peripheral speed of one pair of rotors without varying the revolutions per minute thereof, thereby correspondingly to vary the peripheral speed of the other pair of rotors without varying the revolutions per minute thereof, to provide that, at the instant of their operation, both pairs of nipper rotors will be moving at a peripheral speed bearing a predetermined relation to the linear speed of the tubing.

8. Apparatus for separating lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, feed rollers for advancing the tubing at constant speed; driving means for said feed rollers; means for adjusting the driving means to vary the linear speed of the tubing; two pairs or nipper rotors disposed in spaced relation to each other in the path of the advancing tubing; driving means for one pair of nipper rotors to drive the same at a variable peripheral speed but at a constant number of revolutions per minute; gearing for gearing said pairs of nipper rotors to each other so that they will always be driven one-to-one; a parting or tube-separating element attached to one of said rotors and moved by it in an arcuate path across the path of the advancing tubing, to impose a parting or separating force to the tubing; means for Varying the linear speed of the tubing; and means for varying the peripheral speed of one pair of rotors without varying the revolutions per minute-thereof, thereby correspondinglyto vary the peripheral speed of the other-pair of rotors without varying-the revolutions per minute thereof, to provide that, at'the instant of their operation; both pairs of nipper rotors will be movingat a-peripheral speed bearing a predetermined relation to 'thelinea-r speed of the tubing.

9. Apparatus for separating lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, feed rollers for advancing the tubing at constant speed; driving means for said feed rollers; two pairs of nipper rotors disposed in spaced relation to each other in the path of the-advancing tubing; a driving motor common to both pairs of rotors; a driving connection betweensaid motor and each pair of rotors, said connection comprising an adjustable crank arm and crank pin, whereby the peripheral speed of the' rotors may be varied independently and without'any' variation in the revolutions per'minute of the rotors; and a parting or separating element carried'by one of said rotors and moved by it in an arcuate path across the path of the advancing tubing, to impose a-partingorseparating force to"the tubingiintermediate the pairs of rotors.

10; Apparatus for separating lengths of material from a continuous tube of the same, said apparatus comprising, in combination, feed rollers for advancing the tubing at constant speed, driving meansfor said feed rollers; tv'vopairs of nipper rotors'disposed in spaced relation to each other in the path of the advancing tubing; a driving motor for one pair of said rotors; a driving connection between said motor'and said one pair of rotors comprising an adjustable'crank arm and crank pin, whereby the peripheral speed of the said one pair ofrotors may be varied Without varying-the number a of revolutions per minuteofsaid one pair of rotorsageari-fig between the two pairs of rotors-for driving both pairs of rotors one to-one-at all times, -Whereby, when the peripheral'speed of-one pair of rotors is varied, the peripheral'speedof the other pair-Will be-varied to'the' same extent; and a partingor separating element carried by one of said rotors and moved by it in an arcuat path across the path of the advancing tubing,-toimp0se a-parting or separating force to the tubing when the tubing is nipped by both pairs of nipper rotors.

Eefereiices'Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS" 1,894,065 Sherm'anetal Jan; 10, 1933 1,949,880 Pot'devin Mar. 6, 1934 2,013,086 aker Sept; 3,1935 2,049,515" Potdevin' Aug1'4, 1936 2,061,004 Novick Nov. 17, 1936 2,670,796 on Mar." 2, 1954 2,803,304 Kessler Aug; 20, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,034 Great Britain 1913 

